Members of Green Day and Radiohead Join Kate Nash’s Fight Against the Dakota Access Pipeline

More and more musicians are joining forces with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Kate Nash has written an open letter to President Barack Obama, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Justice Department demanding them to end the hostilities towards the protesters and stop the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The letter was signed by more than 120 of her fellow musicians, including Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day and Ed O’Brien of Radiohead.

The letter was published at Noisey, and begins, “We are writing to express our shock at the treatment of the people of Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota. We are deeply disturbed by the police actions that have been taking place, where non-violent protests have been and continue to be met with extremely aggressive tactics including; being shot with water canons in below freezing temperatures, chemical weapons, rubber bullets, and attack dogs. These are the same inhumane methods used during WWII and the Civil Rights Movement.

"We feel strongly in the current political climate that those in power must be held accountable for their actions. We stand behind and urge you to take action regarding the following requests made in the coalition statement released on November 27th, 2016:

“’We call on the White House to deny the easement now, revoke the permits, remove the DAPL construction workers, and order a full environmental impact statement in formal consultation with impacted tribal governments. Put an end to the violence.’

“We encourage you to remember that this planet provides for us, not the other way around. Water is life and this cannot be underestimated or taken for granted in 2016.

“We are aware of the long and painful history between the U.S. and its indigenous people. Know that the world's eyes and the eyes of the music community are on you now as you continue to disregard the treaties you have with the Native American people and act barbarically towards them.

Standing Rock we stand with you.”

Nash, a Brit who now lives in Los Angeles, told Noisey that she learned about pipeline through social media, and it led to dig deeper into American history. “I had a lack of knowledge about the Native American people. It's not a history I'd ever studied as a British person so I had no understanding of it. I'd like to shed light on it for the U.K. It's important in breaking down the perspective we have of America, particularly with this new leader coming into power. Learning from history is key.”

She added that her main concern was for the safety of the protesters. “People are very injured, they're subjected to freezing conditions, and any barbaric treatment has to stop,” she said. “We all have the right to peacefully protest and these people have the right to protect land that was promised to them. I'm also urging a repeal. The company constructing the pipeline [Energy Transfer Partners] and the federal government haven't honored the [Fort Lamarie] Treaty. The land isn't owned by the US government [it is private property] so it's illegal.”